Churchscapes: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Signage in Selected Catholic Churches in Rinconada

Abstract

This study analyzed the different signage in selected churches of Rinconada using the Theory of Public Signage by Bernard Spolsky. Its purpose is to explore the language choices, functional aspects, and communicative effectiveness of the public signage found within these religious institutions. Through rigorous review of related literature, it was found that there is a limited study of churchscapes in the local context which is the gap that this research aims to address. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining both qualitative and quantitative data to be collected and analyzed. The results indicated a significant amount of Informative signage in every selected church in Rinconada. This reflects the rules, expected behavior of parishioners, and a reminder of the sanctity of the religious spaces. Furthermore, thematic analysis of the gathered data revealed that church sign-makers in Rinconada often use the English language and Rinconada dialect variants as the language medium of their signage. The findings suggest that using English, Tagalog, and Rinconada language in the public signage that were identified helped parishioners to comply with the rules and regulations in the church’s premises. The study’s results have implications for the comprehension of public signage in religious establishments.